We’ve shown that we can compete against big teams, says Dimas Delgado before Odisha FC clash

Dimas Delgado also shared important updates on East Bengal’s key injured players.

East Bengal will hope to maintain their charge towards an Indian Super League (ISL) playoff position when they face league leaders Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Thursday. The Red & Gold Brigade ousted their opponents in the Kalinga Super Cup final last month, but will now face a challenging task with different circumstances in the ISL.

Coping without Cuadrat and Nandhakumar Sekar situation

East Bengal will be without head coach Carles Cuadrat in the dugout, because he’s suspended. Assistant coach Dimas Delgado will take charge for the time being. He spoke about the unique situation ahead of the game, saying: “For me, this will be like a normal situation. We’ve been working together since the start of the season and everyone knows what our job is. We’ll take this as normally as possible and explain to the players how to face the game. It’s nothing to be excited or worried about, be normal and take the game as we have to do and go for the three points.”

After Nandhakumar Sekar was not spotted in training before the game, the Spaniard clarified the situation and explained: “Because of the tight schedule, the players are playing a lot of minutes and we need to take care of our players. The players get very tired as we have to play every three days. The players who played more minutes didn’t train today because we are trying for them to be ready for the match.”

Will Odisha be gunning for revenge against East Bengal?

When asked if he’s worried about Odisha potentially gunning for revenge after their Super Cup final loss, Delgado stated: “I think Odisha also have to be worried about us. The way they are playing, they start the half strong and we can also show them that we can compete with them strongly and make things difficult. The main thing for us is to take care of our players, make them all available to play and stick to our plan. We need to make things as difficult as possible for them, as we have done in the last two games where we faced them.”

The mentor has urged his East Bengal side to replicate their performances against major teams from earlier this season, claiming: “The main thing is that we are trying to be competitive since we’ve arrived. We try to play against any team without fear and compete against everyone. We’ve shown that we can compete against big teams, make things difficult and of course this will be quite similar to the games we’ve played. They’ll try to play their game and we need to make things difficult for them and make them worried about us.”

Chances being wasted and youth development

When asked about the chances being wasted by players in key away games, the assistant coach stated: “Everyone here knows how close this league is. Every game has the same situation, when you are in a tight situation towards the end of a game, a lot of things can happen and a lot of emotions are coming up. Of course, if you are in a one-goal difference, you can expect anything. We must keep working, and make our goal-gap bigger and close games early. But sometimes it’s a question of decision-making. The players are taking a lot of good decisions but everyone can miss chances.”

Dimas Delgado also spoke about the importance of playing youngsters and the development of young players under the current regime. He stated: “I think it’s very important for a club to develop young players. That was one of our main objectives when we came, we wanted to go and watch the youth games and start to know and promote the talented youngsters, give them chances and make them become a part of our club.

“They are taking this challenge really well, they are coming with a hunger to learn and win a position in the first team. We are very happy with the way the youngsters are working, the way they’re performing when they have the chance. We want to give opportunities to them because it’s very important for the future of the club,” he added.

Positive news on long-term injuries

Finally, Dimas Delgado gave some positive news about long-term injured stars Jordan Elsey and Harmajot Khabra, stating: “It’s always good to come back to the place you got injured and the squad you were with at the start of the season. Jordan was an important member in the Durand Cup, so it’s very good to have him back working with the group. We need to see if he can be a part of the squad to get some minutes towards the end of the season. The staff are trying to get him back into the group and for him to go back to his normal ways.

“Khabra is also feeling good. He is playing a fantastic role in the team and is helping a lot on and off the pitch. He’s a very important player for us and it’s good having him in the field now. He’s almost ready to start to play again and we’re happy to have him. He’ll help us a lot as he always does,” he concluded.

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